A YOUNG nurse has died after catching Nipah, a virus that has been dubbed the ‘next pandemic threat’.
The 25-year-old was one of two confirmed cases in eastern India and succumbed to the bat-borne infection while being treated in hospital.
“The woman … who was critical, died due to cardiac arrest,” Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the local health secretary, told Reuters.
It comes just days after another woman in neighbouring Bangladesh, also died after contracting the disease, which kills up to 75 per cent of those it infects.
The young nurse in India had been on ventilator support since early January but died after suffering multiple organ failure.
Both she and a 27-year-old male nurse from the same hospital in West Bengal first developed a fever in December.
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Their symptoms rapidly worsened to convulsions, severe headaches and altered consciousness before they were rushed to intensive care.
The male nurse has since recovered and been discharged.
The outbreak triggered Covid-style airport health screenings across Asia and UK health chiefs to go on high alert amid fears the virus could spread further.
India’s federal health ministry last month said about 200 people were quarantined after the two cases emerged, but no further cases were confirmed.
On Friday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) repeated its warning that the risk of international spread was low.
Meanwhile, the UK has said it is “closely monitoring” the situation, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) having urged Brits planning to travel to affected regions to be aware of symptoms and how the virus spreads.
“The risk for tourists visiting endemic countries is very low if standard precautions are followed,” it says in a blog post, posted last week.
“The risk may be higher for those participating in local practices such as date palm sap collection and consumption.
“If you develop symptoms while overseas in an endemic area, seek advice from a health professional immediately.
“If you develop symptoms after returning to the UK, contact your healthcare provider and make sure to mention your recent travel history.”
The virus, which inspired the Hollywood pandemic thriller “Contagion” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, is transmitted from animals to humans – often from bats and pigs – and can also be spread from person to person.
Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) included the virus in its list of 24 diseases considered the greatest future threats to public health.
Nipah has a high fatality rate of 40 per cent to 75 per cent, far deadlier than Covid-19.
Despite this, it’s very unlikely it will lead to a global emergency.
Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said the Nipah virus cases are “unlikely to pose a significant risk of global spread” though countries should remain vigilant.
Detecting Nipah at borders can be difficult owing to the length of time it takes for people to develop symptoms after catching the virus, he added.
Prof Hunter said: “Although Nipah is a very serious infection, it is unlikely to pose a significant risk of global spread as the risk of person-to-person transmission is low.
“The R0 (the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to) is less than 1.0.
“Nevertheless, we cannot be complacent as we have seen recently, some viruses can mutate to increased infectivity.
“Also the long incubation period makes detection at borders very difficult.”
What are the symptoms of Nipah?
Initial signs of infection are subtle, making the virus difficult to contain, according to the WHO.
First symptoms of Nipah infection include fever, headaches, pain, vomiting and a sore throat.
This is followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness and dangerous brain swelling and sometimes severe respiratory problems.
The most serious complication is encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis, which typically develops three to 21 days after infection, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
“This is the hallmark of Nipah infection and is associated with a very high mortality rate,” the health watchdog added.
Nipah belongs to a family of viruses called paramyxoviruses, a group that includes pathogens like measles.
Scientists have also previously told Sun Health that Nipah could “absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic”.
It is spread by fruit bats who can transmit the virus to people via contact with infected bodily fluids like saliva or urine left on fruit.
These people can then go on to infect others by close contact including potential airborne transmission through coughing and sneezing.
Nipah can kill by causing both severe respiratory problems and fatal brain swelling.
No vaccine or medication work against the virus, with treatment focused on helping patients survive the symptoms while the body fights off the infection.
No cases of Nipah virus have ever been recorded in the UK.
However, the virus has a typical incubation period of between four and 14 days, meaning it is theoretically possible for a case to be imported into the UK.
India regularly reports sporadic infections, with its southern state of Kerala also regarded as one of the world’s highest-risk regions for the virus.
date: 2026-02-13 00:35:00